The Eagle Eye
A Focus on Well-being
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How does Joplin's tax levy compare to other districts?
The chart below compares regional districts, districts of similar size to Joplin, and the state average.
Together, we can prepare for tomorrow.
Please vote June 2!
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Please see our District Bond FAQ Page for more information.
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Joplin Schools Foundation
appreciates all of the teachers who entered a proposed project in this year’s grant program. We applaud your initiative and dedication to educating your students. Following are the Excellence in Education grant winners for 2020/2021:
- Katie Rattles, Adrienne Carson, Kelly Davis, Kelly Painter, Laurie Orr, Mary White, Megan Dillahay, Miranda Ash and Myra Hildago.
- David Welling and Michael Gurley.
- Robert Parsons.
- Brian Hancock.
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Bank Accounts for Direct Deposit
Payrolls will be prepared by June 15 for the June, July and August payrolls. The bank account we have on file will be used for the direct deposit of these checks. It is
very important
not to change your bank account over the summer because we will not have a way to change the file already created for these checks. We need any bank account changes by
June 1
so that we can get them entered into our software for all the summer payrolls. Please be aware that if you do close your bank account, we will have to wait for the direct deposit to be returned to us before we can re-issue you a check and this can take several days.
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UPCOMING CENSUS
There are opportunities for summer work with the 2020 Census. If you would be interested in joining the 2020 Census team you can find more information
here.
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THANKS FOR A JOB WELL DONE
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Dr. Moss recently stated "We have proven that we can not only survive during this pandemic but we can thrive!" As we close our school year we thought it would be nice to look back at all you have accomplished since the pandemic began and salute all of your hard work!
LEARNING SERVICES
TEACHERS:
After we returned from Spring Break teachers realized that the educational landscape had been turned upside down. H
undreds of teachers quickly met and set in place plans to complete the following:
- Determined essential standards to focus the learning without overwhelming the system
- Identified tech-savvy teachers who would train peers, establish a digital platform and create videos to share with students
- Identified leaders to be in charge of producing 6 weeks of hard copy packets
- Identified a team leader who would oversee work of the grade levels & departments
Teachers accomplished these, as well as countless other tasks and duties as they reached out to our students and families to provide instruction through the rest of the semester.
SECRETARIES:
They were tasked with printing and organizing weekly learning packets plus much more. They have printed over 15,000 packets. They maintained spreadsheets to monitor the increase and decrease of packet needed. Also, they had to finalize kindergarten enrollment during this already busy time.
PRINCIPALS:
Being a principal is
not an easy task on any given day, but t
hey know their school population and its unique needs. They used this knowledge to handle the COVID
pandemic
to keep our students and staff safe while maintaining some sense of normalcy. They handed out meals one minute, produced videos the next, and kept up with typical spring school business in their spare time. Their leadership has been integral in our successful COVID response as a district.
STUDENT SERVICES
PARAPROFESSIONALS:
Paras took on new roles in many different capacities. Their new duties ranged from preparing and delivering meals to providing child care for essential workers just to name a few.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE SERVICES & SPECIAL EDUCATION:
These staff members had to become creative to serve 1700 kids that each had to receive individualized lessons and instruction. The teachers stepped up to the plate and made it happen and continue to volunteer to do even more than what is asked!
NURSES:
Our nurses
were at the ready for for any health related services we might need during the pandemic. They
were the first to welcome parents at our health care and first responders childcare. Also, they rounded necessary medical supplies like thermometers and PPE for the District.
PARENTS AS TEACHER:
Joplin Parents as teacher took the initiative to petition DESE to switch to virtual home visit with parents. Our plan worked so well that DESE recommended other district use Joplin model for their home visits as well.
OPERATIONS
FOOD SERVICE:
Congratulations to our food service department for their outstanding accomplishment of preparing and packaging well over 300,000 breakfasts and lunches for our students since the pandemic began. Every day our staff put their hearts into their work to ensure our students are fed, and fed well!
TRANSPORTATION:
Our transportation department deserves a “shout out” for their work in delivering meals throughout the district. We are proud of their flexibility to deliver food and learning packets. In addition, several of our bus drivers have volunteered to mow and help out with landscaping which is a big help to our utility crew.
FACILITIES:
We also need to offer our appreciation to our facilities department staff. Our custodians continue to ensure our buildings are clean and disinfected after staff members come to the building. Our goal is to make sure when people enter the building it is clean and as soon as they leave - we clean again. Also, our utility crew and craftsman have been working hard to work ahead! Many of our summer projects have been completed during this time period. Great job!
SAFETY & SECURITY:
We have used this time to take advantage of a grant opportunity which, if funded, will help improve safety at the elementary and middle schools. In addition, close attention to the weather and our safe rooms is a focus of our efforts.
TECHNOLOGY:
Another “shout out” goes to our technology department. Our IT folks have managed to distribute, monitor and repair (as needed), thousands of Chromebooks in order to allow our students to continue to be educated through the end of the semester. Their work in organizing this effort and maintaining our practices for internet safety is critical to our success.
ATHLETICS:
Our final “shout out” goes to our athletic department for their work with our athletes and keeping them fit through video workouts. Our coaches have been actively communicating with their athletes since spring break. There has been a concerted effort to “check in” on our kids for their academic needs and their social and emotional well-being.
ADMINISTRATION
FINANCE:
Our payroll department has worked diligently to track the payroll costs of COVID related services such as childcare, meal preparation and delivery. In addition to these efforts, our entire finance staff have also been working hard on the software conversion to set up the SISFin software. They have continued working hard every day and we appreciate each one of them for their dedication!
HUMAN RESOURCES:
The HR department continued to work through what is our busiest time of year dealing with resignations, retirements, and new hires. Likewise, they remained a point of contact for staff and administration in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Well done!
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IT'S HERE!
The Eagle Eye: A Focus on Well-being is now archived!
Catch up on what you missed! Go to joplinschools.org > Staff Tab> scroll down to Human Resources and click on The Eagle Eye icon!
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Eagle Nation Benefit News
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Hey, Eagle Nation!
Do you want to learn more about your benefits and ways to save money? Keep an Eagle Eye out each month as we focus on your
health and financial well-being
. Watch for money saving tips and other information you need to know!
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2020-21 OPEN ENROLLMENNT
August 7 - 28, 2020
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Open Enrollment kick-off on August 7th at the Health, Benefits, and Retail Therapy Fair (
pending social distancing requirements and good judgement at that time).
Keep an Eagle Eye out for more info!
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DID YOU MISS IT?
October 2019 through March 2020's issues of The Eagle Eye included cost saving tips for medical, prescriptions and dental.
No worries! Check out the archive under the staff tab on the district website to catch up!
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MEDICAL PLAN FACTS
July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019
(Report of the Superintendent to the School Board)
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Premiums Collected
District ------------------ $3,925,836.00
Employee -------------- $1,558,703.00
Retiree and Cobra ----- $378,643.80
Interest Earned --------- $120,750.75
Total --------------------- $5,983,933.55
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Fees and Claims Paid
Admin/Teledoc ---------- $206,694.78
Insurance Premium ---- $369,179.34
Health Claims --------- $3,817,839.28
Prescription Claims - $1,338,068.96
Total --------------------- $5,731,782.36
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MEDICAL PLAN FACTS
July 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020
(Report of the Superintendent to the School Board)
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Premiums Collected
District ------------------- $2,794,580.00
Employee --------------- $1,122,197.39
Retiree and Cobra ------ $249,046.73
Interest Earned ------------ $95,148.38
Total ----------------------
$4,260,972.50
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Fees and Claims Paid
Admin/Teledoc ----------- $193,436.49
Insurance Premium ----- $343,422.13
Health Claims ---------- $2,814,830.13
Prescription Claims ----$1,122,515.23
Total ----------------------
$4,474,203.98
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Welcome to the Eagle Family
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Please join us in welcoming our newest employees to the Eagle Family!
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Joseph L. Rainey, Jr., age 44, Joplin, passed away at 4:22 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at Mercy Hospital after a heart attack.
Joseph was born June 19, 1975 in Joplin to Joseph Rainey, Sr. and Nancy McCoy Rainey and had lived in the Joplin area all of his life.
He worked for the Joplin R-VIII School District for 26 years. Joseph was an outdoor enthusiast and was a member of the 3 State Family Boat Club. He could be found camping, fishing and hunting any time he had a chance. Joseph was also an avid cook. There wasn't anything he couldn't fix. Joseph was a Christian and enjoyed working with the youth at Blendville Christian Church. He loved his family and will be missed by everyone that knew him.
Joseph married Tina Devins on April 22, 2006 in Joplin. She survives at the home.
Additional survivors include a son, Dalton Rainey, Culver City, California; a grandson, Brody; a sister, Teresa Barry and husband, Jim, Seneca; two brothers, David Rainey and wife, Rita, Joplin and Phillip Rainey and wife, Kimmie, Joplin; and many aunts; uncles; nieces and nephews.
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Have questions related to COVID-19? SafeSchools has added a number of new courses related to Coronavirus. Topics include cleaning and disinfecting, managing stress and anxiety, preparing your household, and the transition to remote work.
- Log in to SafeSchools
- Click on Extra Training (left-hand side and looks like a play button)
- Click on Health
- Click on Coronavirus Course you're interested in
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Access our District Calendar on our website or by
clicking here
for the Google calendar. Stay up to date with district events.
Don't see a district-wide event on here? Email justincrawford@joplinschools.org to get it added. Thanks for helping us help you know about district happenings.
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2019-2020 School Calendar Now Available
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1.
Spend Time in Nature
-
After being cooped up, it feels good to be outdoors and soak up the sun. Being in nature puts your body back into balance. Spending time in nature, such as a forest setting, has a positive physiological effect like boosting your immune system.
2.
Meditation
- meditating on a regular basis reduces stress and is extremely rejuvenating and energizing.
3.
Have Fun
- Having fun reduces our stress levels, increases endorphins and can even help reduce pain. Find safe and positive ways to play!
4.
Simplify
- Imagine clean, clutter-free surroundings. Feels good, doesn't it? Having things clutter-free makes us feel good on the inside. Our outside world is a reflection of our inside world. So, I don't know about you, but I'm going to put closet sorting and donating on my to-do-list, stat!
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"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."
- Marie Curie
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Employee Discounts
Don't forget to use Employee Discounts while shopping locally - you can find those here:
Employee Discounts
.
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The Eagle Eye: A Focus on Well-being
is a monthly e-newsletter where you will find news, updates, reminders, wellness challenges, celebrations, etc. from the human resources department! The e-newsletter will be shared during the last week of each month. Thanks for viewing!
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